Quantitative Muscle Ultrasonography in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Arts, Ilse M.P.; van Rooij, Frank G.; Overeem, Sebastiaan; Pillen, Sigrid; Janssen, Henny M.H.A.; Schelhaas, H. Jurgen; Zwarts, Machiel J.

doi:10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2007.08.013

« Previous Next »Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology
Volume 34, Issue 3 , Pages 354-361, March 2008

Quantitative Muscle Ultrasonography in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Ilse M.P. Arts
- Department of Neurology, Neuromuscular Centre Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Frank G. van Rooij
- Department of Neurology, Neuromuscular Centre Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Sebastiaan Overeem
- Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Sigrid Pillen
- Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Department of Pediatrics, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Henny M.H.A. Janssen
- Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
H. Jurgen Schelhaas
- Department of Neurology, Neuromuscular Centre Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Machiel J. Zwarts
- Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Address correspondence to: Prof. Machiel J. Zwarts, M.D., Ph.D., University Medical Centre Nijmegen, Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, P.O. Box 9101, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands.

Received 3 July 2007; received in revised form 1 August 2007; accepted 30 August 2007. published online 29 October 2007.

Abstract

In this study, we examined whether quantitative muscle ultrasonography can detect structural muscle changes in early-stage amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Bilateral transverse scans were made of five muscles or muscle groups (sternocleidomastoid, biceps brachii/brachialis, forearm flexor group, quadriceps femoris and anterior tibialis muscles) in 48 patients with ALS. Twenty-five patients were also screened for fasciculations. Quantitative analysis revealed a significant increase in echo intensity in all muscles and a decrease in muscle thickness of the biceps brachii, forearm flexors and quadriceps femoris on both sides. Fasciculations were easy to detect in multiple muscles of all screened patients except one. We conclude that quantitative ultrasonography can be used to detect muscle changes caused by ALS in an early phase of the disease. (E-mail: m.zwarts@neuro.umcn.nl)

Key Words: Motor neuron disease, Early diagnosis, Quantitative analysis, Skeletal muscle, Ultrasonography